Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) capture energy from anaerobic sediments by transferring the electrons released during metabolic processes from the bacteria on the anode to oxygen surrounding the cathode in the water above the anode. MFCs are devices capable of harnessing electrochemical voltage gradients produced by microbes that then can be extracted as electrical energy. MFCs capture energy from anaerobic sediment and donate electrons in the aerobic water column. Typically, MFCs operate at 0.3 volts to 0.45 volts under load, and about 0.6 volts to 0.9 volts in an open circuit. The power output of MFCs is typically dependent on anode size and, dependent on the situation, could be dependent on cathode.
Due to the dependence of output energy on the scale of the MFC device, MFCs designed for providing long-term power to electronics will require appropriate sizing. Previous implementations of MFCs included deployment as a linear array, requiring hundreds of meters of linear cables covering large footprints, and necessitating additional equipment for storage and deployment. Constructing these prior art linear array MFCs was highly labor intensive, requiring long periods of delicate and technical work by specially trained professionals. These prior art linear array MFCs were stored in spools. Preparing these spools for deployment required time consuming and delicate work. Deploying these spools also required specialized equipment, such as a boat or ship with a powerful enough engine to pull a sled, on which the spool sits and from which the linear array MFC was deployed. Divers were required to check the entire sled path in order to ensure the proper burial of the linear array MFC. When the system was retrieved, the linear array MFC could be reused, but cleaning and respooling the hundreds of meters of the array was time consuming.